bag from the box of the pickup truck. His gaze zeroed in on the SUV, finding hers as he strode across the parking lot toward them.
She quickly looked away and concentrated on climbing out the back door. He swung open the back hatch and began loading his arms with their luggage. Travis followed suit. Seth grabbed the last bag, and beeped the SUV lock button. Mandy was left with nothing but her shoulder bag to carry into the lobby.
Caleb fell into step beside her.
“How’re you doing?” he rumbled.
“Just fine,” she told him primly, concentrating her focus on the short set of concrete steps that led into the glass entrance.
A set of double glass doors slid silently open in front of them, welcoming them into the gleaming high-ceilinged, marble-floored, floral-decorated lobby. Pillars formed a big circle around a patterned tile floor, while the service desks formed an outer ring in front of the walls.
“I’ve got a copy of the confirmation,” Abby announced, slipping a sheaf of papers from a side pocket in her bag.
“Let me get the check-in.” Seth strode up to a uniformed woman at the registration desk.
Caleb lengthened his strides after Seth, leaving Mandy behind. He caught up and put his credit card on the counter. Seth immediately shoved the card back toward Caleb. The two men had a brief debate, and it looked like Seth was the one to back off.
Mandy positioned herself beside a pillar, out of the route of direct walking traffic, next to Abigail and the luggage.
A few minutes later, Caleb returned to them.
“Ladies.” He nodded. “I assume these are your bags?” He scooped up their suitcases.
“Those are ours,” Abigail confirmed.
“Then, right this way. You’re on the tenth floor. As am I, and Caleb and Seth are on seven.”
“One second,” said Abigail, finding a glass-topped table to set down her briefcase.
She opened it, pulled out two of the green packages and took a few steps across the lobby to hand them to Travis. “Lunch is at the Red Lion next door. The meeting starts at one o’clock. We have dinner reservations at the Riverfront Grill. And then I thought we’d go to the Weasel.” She did a little shimmy as she mentioned the name of the most popular dancing bar in Lyndon. “It’s Friday night, so they’ll have a band.”
Travis took the books from her hands, giving her a mock salute. “Works for me. See you guys in a few.”
Caleb headed for the elevator, and Mandy fell into step behind him.
On the tenth floor, they exited, finding their room five doors down. Abby inserted the key card, holding the door open for Caleb with the bags. Mandy brought up the rear.
“This looks nice,” Caleb noted politely, setting the bags on the padded benches at the foot of each of the queen-size beds. The room had a small sitting area near a bay window with a view of the town. The two beds looked thick and comfortable, and the bathroom appeared clean, modern and spacious.
“I’ll see you both at lunch,” he finished, heading for the door.
He opened it, got halfway out and then stopped, turning back. “Mandy? You have a minute? I’ve got something I want to ask you about, but it’s buried in the bottom of my bag.” He gestured into the hallway. “You mind?”
Surprised and confused, and worried it might have something to do with the sale of the ranch, Mandy nodded. “Uh, sure. No problem.” She moved after him, telling herself it couldn’t be a sale. Not this fast. Not without any warning.
“Great.” He flashed a smile at Abigail. “Thanks.”
Outside in the hallway, they moved three doors farther down. Caleb inserted his own key card, opening the door to a larger room with a king-size bed and a massive lounge area beside a pretty bay window.
They entered the room. He dropped his bag on the floor. The spring-loaded door swung shut and, before she knew what was happening, Mandy was up against the back of the closed door. Caleb’s hands had her pinned by her wrists, and he was kissing her hard and deep.
She was too stunned to move. “What the-”
“I’ve been going crazy,” he groaned between avid kisses. “You’re making me crazy. I thought we’d never get here. I thought we’d never get checked in. I thought we’d never get a second alone.”
Mandy recovered her wits enough to kiss him back. So, not the sale of the ranch. And okay, this was definitely a heat-seeking missile.
She relaxed into the passion of his kisses.
His lips moved to her neck, pulling aside her shirt. A rush of desire tightened her stomach, tingling her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head tipped back, coming to rest against the hard plane of the door as her toes curled inside her boots.
“I don’t understand,” she managed to mutter, clinging to his arms to balance herself. “You’ve ignored me for two days. I didn’t hear a word.”
“That was Travis. He used every trick in the book to keep me away from you.” Caleb pulled back. “What did you tell him, by the way?”
“I didn’t… Well, I mean, I didn’t
“Yeah, he knows,” Caleb agreed. “But can we talk about your brother later? I figured we’ve got about three minutes before they come looking for us.”
She blinked at him in astonishment. “You don’t mean?”
“Oh, man. I
The regional water rights review meeting was shorter than Mandy had anticipated. The state representative introduced the process and told participants how they could provide written comments in advance of the next meeting. Having five people attend from the Jacobs and Terrell families, along with dozens of other ranchers from the Lyndon Valley area served its purpose in showing the organizers the level of interest from the valley and from the ranching community.
There were also a number of people representing nonranching interests. That had been one of Seth and Abigail’s concerns, that ranchers might be pushed out as the area tried to attract newer industries.
Caleb asked questions, and Mandy was impressed with both his understanding of the process and his ability to zero in on the significant details. If she found Reed, and if he returned to the ranch, she hoped Caleb would stay involved until the end of the review. Even if he had to do it from Chicago.
As the meeting broke up, and the group made their way toward the doors of the town hall, Abigail linked an arm with Mandy. “Did you bring along a dress for tonight?”
“A what?”
“A dress. You know, that thing that replaces pants on formal occasions.”
Mandy gave her sister a look of incredulity. “No, I didn’t bring a dress.” Why on earth would she bring a dress? This was a community meeting. In Lyndon.
“Well, we’ve got a couple of hours before dinner. Let’s go to the mall and be girls for a while.”
Mandy glanced over her shoulder at Caleb. She’d been hoping to steal a few more minutes alone with him before they all convened for dinner. “I’m not sure-”
“Come on. It’ll be fun.” Abigail raised her voice. “Wouldn’t you guys like to escort two gorgeous women out on the town tonight?”
Travis stepped up. “Why? You know some?”
She elbowed him. “Mandy and I are going for a makeover.”
“Great idea,” said Travis, voice hearty. “You two ladies take your time. Have fun.”
Mandy shot Caleb a helpless look.
He came back with a shrug that clearly stated “see what I mean?”
“Fine,” Mandy capitulated, mustering up some enthusiasm, even as she wondered whether Travis had co-opted her sister to the cause of keeping her and Caleb apart.
“I haven’t been in Blooms for ages,” said Abigail, towing Mandy toward the SUV. She called back over her shoulder. “You guys okay to walk back to the hotel?”
